The Dark Continent
by Puppeteer of Hearts
Summary: Three years have passed since the slaying of the Fell Dragon, and the tactician has been recovered. Not wanting to cause problems, Lucina leaves Ylisse through way of the Gate ... and comes to Elibe. Ghosts from the past, new allies, and ancient heroes long lost shall arise in the rush to save the dying land, and a new enemy takes to wing. Light will once again pierce the darkness.
1. Wayfaring Princess

The frozen north was as still as always, wind howling as snow blew across the pure white snow. A herd of pegasi, black and white blurs against the midnight blue sky, grazed on what little grass and twigs they could find. The mountains towered above them, stark against everything around them, the small village nearby defiant against the elements. A large temple rested nearby, carved into a mountain that stood apart from the rest.

The herd tensed suddenly, the lead mare's head lifting to stare up at the mountains. Ears perked forward, listening as the soft sound of wings rustling indicated that the fleet creatures were ready to fly off at a moment's notice. A soft growl came from the mountains, and a long neck swung into view briefly. Scales the same pale silver as the moon glinted for a moment, blue eyes looking at the pegasi in disinterest. The large head was gone after a moment, but the former mounts were spooked and took to wing.

The silver beast watched them for a few moments, a long, frilled tail lashing for a moment before the head turned and bugled at the rest of a pack behind it. Flashes of blue, white, silver, and a few of faint rose shifted into the light of the moon, all of them focusing on the silver one who had woken them. Moving silently despite their girth, the pack wove their way out of the mountains and towards the open plains; in a night as still as this, nobody would notice them.

Out in the open, the beasts revealed themselves as dragons, the last pack of a legendary race. Several of the pack glanced towards the temple, and one of the rare youngsters seemed eager to dart towards it. Kept in check by one of the pack, the youngster kept letting its glance stray towards the large temple, tail flicking.

The pack had heard the rumors. Apparently a scarlet beast dwelt in there, resembling their race. It seemed almost absurd; a red ice dragon wouldn't last a day. But even more, there had been a few faint whispers that said beast came from a land where humans and dragons lived in peace, a place that the pack was eager to reach. Their home was no longer welcoming to them.

When the watcher had been distracted, the young dragon took off for the temple at a dead run, silent in the snow. It was going fast, but before it could get halfway there, a bolt of lightning came whistling towards it. Squawking, it dodged, and kept dodging, wanting to reach the temple as a black Pegasus bore down upon it, the woman on its back throwing lightning bolt after lightning bolt.

In a panic, the pack shrieked and scattered, the silver leader barreling towards the youngster and its attacker with a roar. Caught off guard, the rider fired a thunderbolt at it instead; it did nothing to the larger dragon, the electricity rolling off of its scales without harming it. Growling, the beast stopped and turned its body, its whiplike tail snapping through the air. The pale color and dim lighting made it impossible to see, and the Pegasus and rider were sent flying towards the temple.

The roar, however, had alarmed the rest of the guard. Soon the sky was full of Pegasi and their riders, all of them clearly armed with weapons to pierce through a dragon's hide. Growling – it was pointless to fight such a swarm – the silver dragon grabbed the youngster by the tail, racing off to get the pack together once more as they all bolted for the mountains once more.

Thankfully, the Pegasi didn't pursue them too far past the temple. Panting when the pack was together, the silver dragon dropped the youngster onto the ground, relieved when its watcher came over and began scolding. Behind that dragon came another large one, scars marring the deep blue scales that made up its hide. Steel colored eyes narrowed as a growl slipped from its throat, focusing on the silver dragon before it.

"**This is madness, Jadis!" **The dragon roared in their tongue, tail lashing violently.** "Even if that fabled paradise does exist, how are we to reach it when those blasted man-spawn hunt us the moment we cross their path?!"**

"**These humans only attacked us when we showed interest in Ninis's temple."** Jadis settled herself, head kept high as she glared down at the blue dragon. **"Something in there is vital to them, but what, I cannot say. Perhaps it is indeed one of our kin ... It would certainly explain all the weapons designed to cut through our armor."** At this, she let one gold eye settle on the one arguing with her. **"Don't think I didn't notice that you were the first to flee, Setanta."**

"**Bah!"** Setanta's tail lashed once more, the blue dragon turning his back to Jadis. "**You believe in man-spawn nonsense, Jadis! If it was dragonkin living there, why would we have not sensed it? And why would they be so keen to keeping it confined in a temple instead of slaying it, like they seem content to do with us?" **

Jadis couldn't argue with Setanta's logic, but her thoughts had gone elsewhere as she caught sight of the evening sky. Something about the stars seemed off, but what …?

"**A cross!"** Another dragon in the pack crowed, making both Jadis and Setana jolt. **"A Grand Cross, bright and around the moon! Naga is sending us a sign!"**

"**The twelve guards are all in the sky too! What is this madness!?" **A second dragon roared, and it wasn't long before the dragons all had their eyes turned upward, trying to figure out what had gone wrong. Jadis felt her brow crease, tail folding across her legs as Setanta shifted a gaze at her.

"**Well? What sorcery do you think is toying with the stars, Jadis?"** His voice held a current of worry, making the silver dragon look at him briefly before facing the sky once again.

"**Perhaps Naga has finally heard our prayers, Setanta. Perhaps she has finally decided to take mercy upon this dying land."** Setanta snorted at that, wandering into the pack to try and calm them. Jadis didn't stop him, eventually giving the call to start a march again; they would get out of sight of the temple first before attempting to cross the valley again. The entire while, she kept glancing at the heavens, taking in the unusual stars. Something that strange could only be a sign from Naga to her. It was a hope; perhaps a foolish, fleeting one, but a hope the silver dragon held all the same.

She loved Elibe too much to see it wither away into nothingness.

* * *

"Ah, here you are, Princess; a new world that isn't connected to Ylisse at all." Lucina's head snapped up at Anna's voice, making her look at the redhead as she managed to get the blue abyss of the Otherworldly Gate settled. The princess sighed; she dressed like she had at Grima's defeat three years previously, even if she had discarded the diadem. Blue eyes saddened as she looked at the Otherworldly Gate. She had no place here, not with her younger self growing and talking.

"Thank you, Anna." Smiling, Lucina gripped Falchion in her hands as she looked into the Gate as it cleared. There was a green set of ruins before her, dragons and other such creatures carved into stone. It didn't seem lit at all, but for some reason Lucina was drawn to it. "Where … is this land? I don't really recognize it …"

"Hmm? Oh, this place?" Anna looked over her shoulder a bit as another one of her 'cousins' ambled into view on the other side of the Gate, wearing a different set of red garments; as opposed to the red trickster tunic, this one dressed like a cleric, her robes still red trimmed in gold and white. "Oh, hey Anna~ Care to tell our lovely guest where she'll be touring?" The merchant smiled, and her doppelganger giggled as she bowed to Lucina.

"Why yes, Anna~" The other Anna's voice had a lilt to it, making her sound like she was on the verge of singing. "This here would be Elibe, but why you'd want to come here is a mystery."

"Considering you're a secret seller, I suppose it's fitting." Lucina couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "But why is your land named for the darkness of the underworld? That seems ominous…"

"Ah, don't feel bad, fair lady." The Elibian Anna smiled. "This land's had a really bad run of luck, but if you're in the need for an adventure, it'll be a great place. But if you're not in need of an adventure, we also have the beautiful plains of Sacae for you to travel, and if not there, there's always the jungle city of Arcadia." At this, she paused. "Or I can always talk to our cousins in Magvel and have you over there, savvy? All you have to do is ask."

Lucina shook her head a bit to absorb what she had just heard. "I … It's fine, Anna. I just feel compelled to leave Ylisse, at least for a little while." Shaking her head, the blue-haired warrior looked back at the continent. "I want to let my younger self have her own parents. I've been selfish enough." Looking through the gate, she bit her lip and stared back at the green ruins. "Plus … this place seems to call to me. Can I pass through?"

"Yes you may~" The Annas chorused, and the Gate seemed to solidify. A pathway of blue appeared at Lucina's feet, making her look down as she gripped Falchion tight. She had said her goodbyes, and Solna had been found; everyone was safe now. Looking back at Ylisse once more, the princess smiled before sighing as she stepped onto the pathway. "Have a safe journey!" The Anna on her side of the Gate waved, and Lucina nodded as she continued walking.

The pathway between worlds was … odd. Lucina had been in too great of a rush to focus on it much when she was fleeing through to the past, but now that her mind wasn't racing in a desperate scramble, she could focus on it. Her feet felt like they were on compressed air or clouds, and there was a chill that permeated the area. Unable to stop herself, she glanced down; a whirling mass of stars and lights swam beneath her, the sight mesmerizing. If it wasn't for the fact that the pathway didn't appear to be narrow – at least, Lucina didn't feel like she was on a narrow surface – she was certain she would topple off to one side and wind up in one of those other worlds.

Shaking her head after a moment, Lucina straightened her back and began walking towards the green lighting again, feeling a warm wind hit her face. The scent of sea salt wafted over with it, sending a feeling of nostalgia to the blue-haired princess. This was how she had first revealed herself to her father in this time, wasn't it? An isolated island feared by the locals, the smell of the sea all around … 'Perhaps my journey here will prove to be just as fulfilling.' she thought to herself, finally reaching the other side.

At once, the jarring change in scale struck Lucina, making her stumble a bit as she stepped out onto the odd green stones. The Otherworldly Gate on Ylisse was large, but still proportionally sized to match the same span of space as a castle gate. This gate … Straightening herself out when she had regained her balance, Lucina looked up; the Gate she had just walked through looked large enough for Lady Tiki to walk through, transformed, and still have a horse or two riding on her back. "This is … massive ..."

"They say this Gate was built by the dragons." Anna – the one here – explained, making Lucina turn to her. "This is probably just a normally sized building for them, although I do wonder about the human-sized passageways ..."

Nodding, Lucina took in more of the gate around her, waving to the Anna on Ylisse as the pathway between the Gates closed. It certainly felt big enough to have been built by dragons; the ceiling was invisible to her eyes, although the fog that covered this place didn't help, and even the chamber itself was far larger than even the massive ballroom Castle Ylisse boasted back at home. A pair of dragon statues sat on either side of the Gate itself, and walking over to them made Lucina pale as she realized she barely came halfway up the leg of one. "... If this chamber here is any indication, I'd be terrified to see how large the dragons here on Elibe are."

"Then I guess it's a good thing the dragons aren't around anymore." Anna's laughing comment made Lucina's eyes widen, whirling on her heel to stare at the redhead. Nodding, the secret seller started twirling her staff like a baton. "Ah, that's right; Elibe's cut off enough, you probably don't know the full story of the land. Well, to give you a basic summary, over two thousand years ago now, humans and dragons got into a war that ended with the humans victorious. The dragons were chased through this gate here, and apart from a mad king trying to bring them back about two hundred years ago, they haven't been seen since."

Lucina just stood there, blinking. Dragons and humans at war? The only recorded instance of such a thing happening in Ylisse was many millenniums old, told only in the stories of the Hero Kings. Even then, the Manakete were still well-known, and treated with reverence by most all the populace for their ability to transform into dragons. This land … humans had banished them? It was almost too much for her to wrap her brain around. "I … I see." Shifting a bit, the former princess began looking around, curiosity overtaking her common sense. "Is it alright if I look around this place for a bit?"

"Oh, sure!" Anna nodded. "Just come to the entrance when you're ready to leave, and I'll be able to Rewarp you to the Inn in Badon that my sisters run." Nodding in understanding, Lucina watched as the redhead in front of her tapped her staff against the ground, vanishing in a blink of magic.

"... A land without dragons ..." Lucina repeated after a moment, sighing. "... I didn't know such was possible." Taking a few moments to walk around the large chamber, the princess drew Falchion from it's scabbard, puzzled by the sword's constant glow. "... Does it still sense the -presence of the dragonkin? It only ever glowed like this the night Aunt Emm's assassination was prevented ..." Still puzzled, but not sensing any danger, Lucina returned it to the scabbard; Falchion's glow remained, but subdued, and she grabbed a torch from a nearby holder to look around.

It took a double take for her to realize the flames coming from the torch were green, as if someone was burning copper. "What … this entire place feels … unearthly. And not fully in a good way." Swallowing a sudden lump in her throat, the princess continued walking, unnerved by how her own footsteps echoed so sharply in the massive building. Almost all of the steps leading down from the massive chamber were broken, and even those that weren't were _massive, _almost too big for a human to walk up or down without exhausting themselves. 'No wonder Anna used a Warp staff …'

As it was, it took Lucina about fifteen minutes to reach the bottom, taking care not to slip and fall; she doubted she would survive a fall down these steps. Letting out a sigh of relief as she reached the solid ground once again, the blue-haired woman looked around, holding the torch up. The fog was thicker on this floor than the one she had just left, but the torch didn't seem to be bothered by it at all. Glancing around showed several open chambers, several of them empty, but the sight of old, rusted weapon scattered across the floor made her arch an eyebrow. "What on earth …?" She mused, walking to them.

Falchion's glow brightening made her take pause, glancing at the sacred sword. Every step she took towards the weapons made it glow brighter, as if in warning, and she halted just short of one of the weapons. It was a lance, impaled in the cracks of the massive stones, the entire weapon twisted by a feeling of dark magic. It called out for her to touch it, but the bright glow from Falchion was warning enough. A glance around showed that the rest of the weapons felt just as wrong, as if sorcery that escaped even Validar was once at work here. "This place …" She whispered as she backed up, starting to take a different path through the great chamber. "What sort of dark magic could have corrupted it like this?"

Heading down a side chamber, Lucina relaxed a bit as Falchion's glow dimmed to how it had been in the chamber with the Gate. Several more hallways past her by, but one made her take pause; the stones around the area were less green than the rest, forming an almost sort of pale halo effect. Runes were etched into the stone, but there was one in particular that made her pause.

It was the mark of Yllise's exalted, surrounded by what Lucina was certain were the three main anima elements – fire, wind, and thunder – with a fourth one that was lost on her. "What could this possibly ...?" Curiosity and worry taking over her, Lucina pressed her hand against the engraving, letting out a shout of surprise when the wall around the etching decided to vanish.

A new set of stairs was revealed, the stone arch that marked it a shocking limestone against the sickly green stones around it. There was a strange glow from a set of stones in the ceiling of the stairwell, and the oddness was enough to intrigue Lucina. 'What lies down here? This place seems untouched …' Keeping one hand gripped around Falchion's hilt, the blue-haired woman descended into the limestone hall. The light from her torch reflected off of the white stone, illuminating the ground in front of her for a good twenty feet.

The sound of voices reached her ears first, making Lucina start. Was someone …? Quieting her steps as much as she could, she focused on listening to the voices echoing off the stone chambers.

"Look ..! All these marking are in the ancient language, Cora. Even the brand of the Lost Goddess …!" one of the speakers was male, and about Lucina's age, if she had to gamble. He seemed incredibly excited about something, and he had some sort of companion with him. "Perhaps if we could copy this, we could figure out what lies beyond that sealed door in the chamber."

Anything else he was saying was cut off as Lucina stepped on something that wasn't stone and proceeded to trip.

A screech hit her hears, and before the former princess could register anything, she was being picked up by her cape and dangled in the air. Dropping her torch in the confusion, Lucina went to draw Falchion when she got a good look at what was holding her; a wyvern, and the object that had tripped her up was the creature's tail. Unlike the wyverns she was accustomed too, this one appeared more like a miniature, four-legged dragon than a large, two-legged beast prone to eating anyone that irked it. As it was, this one seemed to be content with dangling her in the air as punishment, growling lowly in its throat.

"What in blazes!?" A second voice – female, most likely that 'Cora' character Lucina had heard mentioned before – echoed as heavy metal steps darted towards their direction. "Miledy, girl, what's got you screeching like that? Did you get stuck again? Those rats give you indigestion and you know it!"

'… So I've found this world's version of Gerome. Joyous.' Groaning mentally, Lucina braced herself for getting lectured for hurting a creature that could clearly take care of itself.

"… Okay, Miledy, put them down. You're a pale green wyvern in green and white ruins. I highly doubt he stepped on you on purpose." Looking up as the wyvern – Miledy – set her onto the floor, Lucina examined the young woman in front of her. She was close to Lucina's own age, chestnut colored hair tied back in a low ponytail. Her armor was made out of simple steel with a pale wash to match her wyvern, and yet it was patterned with ornate wyvern wing etchings, including two panels for the breast plate that scooped up in the shape of raised wings. Her tunic was a deep russet color, matching brown leggings and boots with wing-shaped greaves on them. Quick, hazel-gold eyes looked Lucina over as the other woman approached her, offering the blue-haired woman a hand up. "And who are you to come out of nowhere, mm?" She asked, voice rough and almost reminding Lucina of her good friend Kjelle.

"Cora, what happened?" the male voice from before had returned, and the sound of someone hurrying reached the two women soon after. Brushing dust off of herself, Lucina looked up in time to see the newcomer as well.

His hair was a few shades of blue lighter than hers, the lighting casting a teal highlight onto it. He dressed like a mage to her, a long violet overcoat with a hood covering a crisp white tunic and deep grey leggings. His boots were polished leather, and he held a large, ornate staff in his right hand. Bright violet eyes looked Lucina over as he leaned against the staff to catch his breath. "Cora, you run too fast." He wheezed, shaking his head.

"Are you alright, sir?" Worried, Lucina walked over to him, brows furrowed. Judging by the way Cora jerked at the sound of her voice, the other woman had probably assumed Lucina was male at first. Kneeling to check on the mage, she blinked when she got a better look at the staff. It was polished gold, the head of the staff turned into two dragons spiraling around one another, a bright silver gem in between them. It looked almost too expensive to be practical, but Lucina didn't know much about magic, let alone the mechanics it worked by on this new world.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine miss," The man had recovered his breath, straightening up as he spoke. "Just winded; I'm not exactly built for speed. I leave rushing ahead of things to Cora there." Smiling a bit, he gave Lucina a polite bow. "I'm Raine, and my companion is Cora. Judging by the screeching earlier, you've become acquainted with Miledy." Chuckling a bit, at Raine's tone, Lucina returned the polite bow.

"Yes I did; I hope I didn't injure her tail too much." Settling a bit when she was certain Raine and Cora weren't going to injure her. "I'm Lucina, a traveler; I came here to explore the ruins. From the way Anna spoke of them, it sounded like they weren't explored often."

"Nah, they're not." Cora shrugged as she walked over to her wyvern, leaning against the beast casually. "Raine was just curious about exploring this place for that exact same reason, and he's stubborn as a mule about it too." Giving Raine a wolfish grin as he scowled at her, Cora nodded at Falchion. "And you seem to have an awful lot of money, if that sword's any indication. Are you from Etruria?"

Lucina began to turn her head to respond to Cora when Raine let out a startled noise and turned her to face him. "Your left eye, that's the mark of the Lost Goddess!" Violet eyes wide, Raine tilted Lucina's chin to look up at him. Mentally cursing the fact that the Brand had weakened the vision in her left eye, Lucina began to jerk away and draw Falchion when a soft breeze wafted through the area, an all too familiar stench carried on it.

Miledy seemed to have smelt it as well, because the wyvern rose onto her haunches with a shriek, wings beating the air as she turned int the direction of the breeze. Cora swore, and had bounded up onto her wyvern's back to grab the spear holstered into a holder. Rain seemed agitated as well, turning with both hands around his staff, muttering under his breath as the stone between the two dragons lit up. Drawing Falchion, Lucina formed as much of a wall with them as she could, frowning as the scent of undead filled the area more. Like she had feared, there were Entombed approaching them, but what rested in the middle of the group made her pale.

It was a spider. A spider that was about as large as the wyvern she stood beside, venom dripping from its talons. Unlike the Entombed around it, the spider seemed very much alive, and was moving much slower than the zombies. It was still a terrifying sight, and Lucina debated on kicking her still burning torch at it, having found it beside her feet.

"Leave it to a Bael to be dwelling at the bottom of this place." Cora growled, leveling her spear as Miledy crouched. "Raine, I can't fly in this chamber; the ceiling's too low, and that Bael would catch us without even trying."

"Bael?" Lucina asked.

"The spider; it's a type of monster that supposedly responds to a demonic king." Raine explained, leveling the staff he held as if it were a lance. "They're weak to light magic, as are the undead, but I don't hold that sort of power. I deal with the spirits of nature, not gods and goddesses." Lucina swallowed a bit, staring at the spider; Falchion was blessed by a goddess, yes, but the blue-haired woman had no idea if that meant it would work on a gigantic, demonic spider. As it was, she would have to destroy most of the Entombed to even get to it.

Frowning, she braced for impact, the sacred sword in her hands glowing like a beacon as one Entombed got into her range. Letting out a shout, she kicked the discarded torch into its face, setting the cloth wrappings around it ablaze. While its limbs flailed about uselessly while burning, the blue-haired woman lunged forward, Falchion cutting through it with relative ease, and she had enough momentum to pivot on her heel and cut through it again, thankfully defeating it. Panting as she watched it dissolve, Lucina's eyes widened as a bolt of blue thunder fell from the ceiling, striking the one next to her and dissolving it before she could blink. A glance showed that it was Raine, strange runes surrounding him and his staff as he fired another thunderbolt, this one striking an Entombed closer to the Bael.

Cora and Miledy had decided to charge on forward, and were swarmed on all four sides by the zombies. The woman and wyvern didn't seem to mind at all, and were cutting a swath through them with talons and steel, Miledy's long tail even tripping up some of the Entombed. Relieved that she wasn't the only one present capable of fighting these creatures, Lucina jumped into the fray as well, grateful that she hadn't stopped practicing her skills with the sword in the three years since Grima's defeat.

To her immense relief, it wasn't long before the Entombed were gone, but Lucina still held her sword in a ready position as the Bael's shadow fell over her. Swallowing a sudden lump in her throat, she turned, and swore when she saw that the spider's maw was right on level with her face, and ready to bite. Leaping backwards, Lucina brought Falchion around, slashing across the many eyes staring at her, taking a couple of them out.

The screech of pain the Bael let out was ear-rending, and it took all of Lucina's reflexes to dodge away from the spider's flailing limbs. Cora and Miledy darted in, the brunet woman's lance flashing as she took out one of the legs. It didn't seem to deter the Bael much, and one of the remaining seven legs scored a hit on Miledy, managing to hit a bit of tender skin beneath the wyvern's thick scales.

Shrieking, Miledy bit the offending leg, wings flapping as she hopped backwards, the leg her fangs were sunk into coming with her. The limb was eventually ripped in half, and Lucina was certain that if had been on the same side as the other crippled leg, the Bael would have fallen over from lack of balance. Raine's eyes, however, were bright. "There we go! Take out the legs so it can't attack us as easily!" He called out, retreating a bit as the runes from before reappeared, a fire spell leaving the gem on top of his staff to hit the Bael in the face.

Positioning herself, Lucina stared at the legs as the Bael reared up to attack again, drawing Falchion level with her side as she charged the two rear legs the spider was using to remain upright. Dashing forward as fast as she dared, she braced herself, plowing through both legs in a single strike, flinching as the Bael's blood hit her cloak. "!" Eyes widening, she threw the blue and red fabric off, seeing the blood eat through it like acid. "Don't let its blood touch you!" She called out as the spider fell to the side with only one leg with a screech, the remaining four legs flailing about.

Miledy had taken to hovering in the air, the wyvern using the limited room in the passageway to her advantage. Dipping beneath the flailing limbs, the wyvern managed to fly above the body as one leg got stuck, letting Cora remove one of the other legs, lance slicing through the carapace with ease. Raine, still standing a ways back, unleashed another fire spell on the last leg on the downed side, burning it to a crisp as Lucina raced along the downed creature's side, Falchion in hand.

Letting out one last cry, she took a flying leap and tucked herself into a ball, the sacred blade glowing as she used the momentum from her leap to drive the blade into the Bael's head, piercing the largest of the eyes and driving it into the large creature's brain. The Bael let out another horrendous screech as it died, the limbs still thrashing and flailing about in death throes as Cora and Miledy retreated to where Raine was standing, both of them poised to attack in case Lucina's blow hadn't struck true.

To their immense relief, the spider stopped moving, the two remaining legs starting to twitch and curl up in death. The acidic blood pooled on the stone floor around it, sizzling and hissing in the open air as Lucina drew Falchion back out of the fatal wound she had caused. Wiping sweat from her brow, she wiped any remains of the blood from her blade, grateful that the blessed metal seemed unaffected by any sort of corrosion. "... Is poisonous blood another characteristic of a Bael?" She panted, sheathing Falchion and leaping to where the other two stood.

"... No." Raine replied after a long moment, approaching her. "At least, none of the texts mentioned it." Stopping when he was in front of Lucina again, the man's violet eyes locked onto her blue ones. "... But you are not from this land, are you?" He asked after a long moment, tilting Lucina's head up again to stare at the Brand in her left eye.

Lucina was at a loss; she wasn't, but would this man believe her if she said she was from a land beyond this one? That she had come through the gate that lay several stories above him as a wayfarer? He had recognized the Brand, and referred to it as the mark of a Lost Goddess, so was Naga known here? If so, why was she a _lost _goddess?

A thought hit her, and she paled; Naga was a Divine Manakete, and this was a land without dragons.

Without dragons, there would be no word of Naga.

Without Naga, Falchion wasn't a blade known and feared throughout the lands, and the Fire Emblem would just be an old, ornate shield.

Without Naga … the Hero-King Marth wasn't a Hero-King, just a legend in a land that was named for a level of the underworld.

Lucina had come here to explore, to see a world beyond Ylisse and its neighbors. She hadn't mean to come to a continent that was seeped in a form of eternal darkness, one that made Falchion glow with unease. Yet here she was, in the basement of a gate too immense to be made with human hands, the body of a wyvern-sized venomous spider dead behind her, and two strangers who knew of Naga only as a Lost Goddess in front of her.

What had her arrival started?

* * *

(?_)  
_A great beast stirred beneath the water that filled the main chamber of an ancient temple, noticing the change in the atmosphere in the land. Caution crept over it, rising close enough to the surface to peer out a large, rounded window at a full moon. The twelve formations of the zodiac blazed around the moon for but a moment before winking out, and the spirit the temple housed seemed to stir.

_**A child of Naga has passed through the Dragon's Gate.** _

The voice echoed through the mostly empty chamber, reaching the beast's ears as it sank back into a deeper part of the water, swimming around more as its senses were alert for any intruders, a thought racing through its head as it finally surfaced, standing between two statues in the shape of long necked, wingless dragons, frilled tails coiled at their feet. The beast resembled them, and it stalked towards the house-sized shrine, eyes alert as it sat down and turned, facing the front of the shrine from the shadows as the voice came once more.

_**It has begun, dragonkin. The countdown to the final war has begun. **_

Sapphire blue eyes sharpened, focusing on the ceiling as the full moon shone through once again, a silver light piercing through the mist of the temple to illuminate the white and blue building. A grin that bared the beast's teeth spread across its maw, and a long tail wrapped around its feet. It knew nothing was in the chamber to hear him but the spirit, but he could not resist a greeting.

**'Welcome to Elibe, Child of Naga. Welcome to the Dark Continent."**

* * *

_**Tori's Notes:** It seems that every story I start with Elibe as a focus has 'darkness' as a theme to it. This story, "Everything into Darkness", "The Darkest Flame" ... Granted, the last one was more a nod to the Black Fang, but the fact that the Japanese name for Elibe is Ereb, aka a shortened/corrupted form of "Erebus", the primordial god of darkness in Greek Mythos, is **probably** to blame for the subconscious theme of 'dark' I seem to give Elibe. _

_But yes, here, have something new from me! I actually had this started about a year ago, after Awakening first came out, but various distractions/issues came up, including the original file for this being corrupted. So here it is, at long last, in published form. _

_Now, I know there's going to be people who aren't going to like the parent pairings I have in line for the children, to which I'm just going to shrug; it's my story, I like these pairings, and really, the parents don't matter in the long run because it's all about the **children. **If the pairings for the parents are that much of an issue, I apologize, but this is the way shit rolls with me._

_Also, Solna is the name of my Awakening Tactician. _

_So, before anyone asks who has what parents, the list. _

**_Lucina: _**_Chrom and Sumia  
**Cynthia: **Chrom and Sumia  
**Owain: **Lissa and Lon'qu  
**Inigo: **Henry and Olivia  
**Brady: **Maribelle and Virion  
**Severa: **Cordelia and Frederick  
**Kjelle: **Sully and Stahl  
**Yarne: **Panne and Donnel  
**Noire: **Tharja and Gaius  
**Nah: **Nowi and Libra  
**Gerome: **Cherche and Gregor  
**Laurent: **Miriel and Vaike  
_

_And as a bonus? **Both male and female Morgan shall be present. (**Male Morgan shall go by his Japanese name of Marc). Their parents are Solna and Yen'fay. _

_Anyway, now that that's taken care of, enjoy the first chapter! All I shall say is that "Here there be mother fucking dragons." _


	2. Winds of Change

"So … you mean to tell me that you come from a land beyond the Dragon's Gate?" Cora spoke up as she stretched out, riding on Miledy's back as the wyvern kept pace with the walking Lucina and Raine. After the Bael's defeat, Raine had explained to Lucina that he and Cora were in that part of the runes for some sort of research, and the blue-haired woman had opted to travel with them. She had just gotten through explaining her origins, using both the brand in her eye and Falchion itself as proof to her tale. "How odd … the legends only ever stated that dragons lived beyond the Dragon's Gate, and that only those who are dragonkin can open it." Running a hand through her chestnut colored locks, the wyvern rider arched an eyebrow. "Brand or no Brand, your story's kinda fishy, Luci."

"... Well, being dragonkin would explain a few things about the Annas ..." Lucina commented drily, shaking her head at Cora's impromptu nickname for her. "But, yes, I come from a realm called Ylisse." Nodding, she glanced down at Falchion as the sword kept glowing, the three of them heading in deeper to the runes. "It's … well, I must say that it seems to run on very different rules than Elibe does. The Manakete weren't as massive as the ones here appeared to be, at least."

"Manakete?" Raine paused at that, looking at Lucina in confusion. "What in the name of the spirits is a Manakete?" Lucina also stopped in her tracks, stunned. Miledy didn't seem to notice that the two humans she was walking with had halted until a minute later, almost dumping Cora from her back in her sudden stop.

"But … the Anna … she said there was a war with dragons." Lucina stammered, not knowing where her footing was in this situation. "I … I assume that she meant the Manakete. The dragonkin." Seeing that she was only getting blank looks in response, the blue-haired woman shook her head. "Then do you know of them as taguel? Laguz?"

"The dragons have always been, well, dragons." Cora replied after a moment, shrugging. "Why call them anything but that?" Seeing Lucina's baffled look, the brunet woman shrugged again. "Sorry, but we're not exactly the fanciest of people here on Elibe; we've kind of got bigger issues to worry about than what we call something we chased away about fifteen hundred years ago."

"Bigger issues?" Resisting the urge to shudder as the memory of Grima flashed in her mind's eye, Lucina looked around. "Did it have to deal with those Entombed from earlier? And that spider?"

"Potentially, yes, but we don't have enough information." Raine shook his head, frowning as he resumed walking. "But that is why Cora and I are here, anyway. We're trying to see if a ruin that predates the Scouring and Ending Winter would hold any clues as to how we can change things." Lucina, worried, glanced at Cora as she followed after the blue-haired male. The other woman let out a sigh as her wyvern started walking again, glancing up at the stones overhead.

"That's right; if you just got here, through the Gate or not, you wouldn't have seen the rest of Elibe to notice." Shaking her head, Cora looked at Lucina again, a frown creasing her face and making her appear far more serious than she normally did. "Elibe is _dying, _Luci."

"... Dying?" A chill shot through Lucina at that, making her grip Falchion's hilt tighter.

"Yes, it is dying." Raine's sigh echoed through the chamber for a moment, the blue-haired man stopping to grip tighter on the golden staff he carried. "It must have been going on for a while, but we only just now started to notice it about ten years before my birth; harvests are becoming smaller and smaller, the sea life is beginning to retreat, and even the weather strikes against us. We have long winters, with snow that reaches up to the rooftops of a villager's home, summers without an ounce of rain for weeks at a time, typhoons along the coast that wreak havoc wherever they make land … It's as if the spirits are punishing us."

Another chill went down Lucina's spine. The timeline she had come from had been dying as well, but that wasn't from any acts of nature; Grima and the unending waves of Risen had caused the decay of her Ylisse. Granted, the undead seemed to be rising up here as well, but that wasn't necessarily a sign of another Grima; Noire had mentioned her mothers books spoke of necromancy, but even among dark magic practitioners, it was considered vile.

On the other hand, desperate times called for desperate measures. She was willing to count having a world dying around you as desperate times.

But Raine had said something else that caught her interest. "What's the Ending Winter?" She asked, confused. "I wager that this 'Scouring' you speak of was the war against dragons, but what about the Ending Winter?"

"That's the thing; nobody truly knows exactly what it was." Raine shook his head as they reached a fork in the ruins. "Exact details about the Ending Winter itself were never fully recorded, but one effect was that the dragons were stricken by a strange blight that sapped their powers. It forced them to pour their magic into gemstones to keep from dying, and they could only use it in short bursts. They were forced into their human forms outside of those short bursts to keep themselves alive as well. Some of the records say it was a divine judgment brought on by the gods, but it allowed humans to win the war and drive the dragons away."

At that, he frowned, looking at the two archways. "However, recent studies seem to imply that something more happened when the Ending Winter took place … But none know what for certain." Sighing, Rain tapped the staff he held against the flagstones of the floor, brow furrowed. "That's why Cora and I are here; Lycia, Bern, Etruria and the Western Alliance have joined forces in an attempt to figure out what we can do to save our world. It's small, fragile, and not everything is perfect, but it's our home. We don't …" A lump must have formed in his throat, because he swallowed suddenly before continuing. "_I _don't want to watch my homeland die."

Lucina's heart went out to him at that, eyes saddening; she had died a bit inside when she had been forced to give up her Ylisse to the risen and Grima in an attempt to prevent the same future from happening elsewhere. It was a piece of her that hadn't fully recovered even after Grima's death in the new future, and she couldn't even begin to fathom what it must feel like to watch a world slowly die and wither away against something you couldn't fight against.

Stepping forward, she went to place a hand on Raine's shoulder when Falchion's glow brightened again, drawing her attention. "What in Naga's name …?" Perplexed, she drew the blade, noticing with interest that it seemed to react more to one pathway than the other, a force tugging on her when she pointed the sword at the right passage. "... Is something … Whatever these ruins might contain, they're down this way." Nodding, she began walking, taking the lead.

"Hah! Leave it to a sword blessed by a dragon goddess to figure out where we're going in a set of runes made by _dragons." _Cora's laughter echoed for a few moments, the brunet wyvern rider taking the rear of the party, Raine walking in between the two women. The sword's glow grew brighter as they continued down the hall, the sound of their footsteps echoing in the stone surroundings.

Just when the feeling of claustrophobia was beginning to kick it, the passageway opened into a large chamber, and Lucina almost did a double take. They were just above sea level, but they were no longer underground; large pillars stood on either side of a water-filled chamber, floating platforms resting on clear, turquoise-colored water, a shrine in the center of the chamber, all of it resting beneath a roof supported by the pillars. "Well, this is certainly 'something'." Lucina commented, restoring Falchion to its sheath as Raine and Cora began to walk around.

"A temple rested beneath the Dragon's Gate?!" Raine's jaw was agape as he walked around, going to one of the pillars and looking out at the open air that replaced the walls. "No … it seems we exited it; that's the walls of the Gate up there." Lucina looked where he was pointing, eyes widening; from the outside, the Gate seemed to be a mountain of green-hued stone, the midday sun hitting it at an angle. "But why would an entrance to a temple like this be hidden in the depths of the Dragon's Gate?"

"Perhaps the Gate wasn't always there, and that was just a regular entrance?" Cora offered, having hopped off of Miledy to kneel by the water that filled most of the temple. The wyvern leaned over her rider, tongue slipping out to taste the water; it seemed to be fine, if the way Miledy proceeded to lap at it happily was any indication. Cautious, Cora cupped her hands and took a sip as well, eyes widening. "Wha – it's like drinking from a mountain spring!" Finishing off the water she had in her hands, the wyvern rider began to continue her pacing, walking on the pathway that stretched around the edges of the 'walls'. Miledy herself took to diving into the water with a splash, surfacing a few seconds later with a happy crowing noise before diving back under.

Lucina, however, found herself drawn to the shrine that rested in the center of the chamber. Stepping forward, she cautiously stepped onto one of the floating platforms. Instead of sinking underwater with the slightest application of weight, however, it remained solid, a set of glyphs lighting up for a second before dimming. "?" Puzzled, the blue-haired woman kept walking, stepping onto the next platform with more confidence. It remained upright.

Letting a giddy smile cross her face for no real reason, she glanced down into the water, amused to find Miledy chasing some sort of fish between the supports the platforms had. It seemed as though the arrival of the three people had triggered something, and she could catch a glimpse of faintly glowing glyphs on the submerged pillars. Grinning a bit more, Lucina jumped over the two foot gap between her platform and the one the shrine stood on, eyes lighting up when she spotted the Mark of Naga etched onto the flagstones.

Miledy surfaced a moment later with a happy crooning noise, a fish clenched between her sharp teeth. It was an odd, multicolored fish, but it didn't seem poisonous. Raine and Cora had finally noticed where Lucina had reached, and both of the other two were hopping over the platforms to reach her. "I didn't know if these would remain upright." Raine admitted with a weak chuckle, bracing the staff against one of the stones when they were on the center platform as well. Looking up at the shrine, he gave a nervous whistle. "... A … A shrine to Set the wind spirit?" He eventually forced out, walking closer.

"Wind Spirit?" Lucina turned to Cora, who arched an eyebrow.

"I was gonna ask if you'd ever run out of questions, but I doubt you could just research Elibe before coming here." Shrugging, the brunet nodded at the shrine. "There's four elemental spirits here on elibe; Set, who rules over wind. There's also Filia, the fire spirit, Thor, the thunder spirit, and Ninis, the ice spirit."

"Ice?" Lucina's head tilted to one side, arching an eyebrow. "Fire, Thunder and Wind are the three elements of Anima magic in my home, but ice?"

"Some say the spirit of ice left with the dragons." Cora shrugged again, spotting Miledy as the wyvern attempted to crawl out of the water. "Ah ah ah ah! Over there before you shake yourself off, Miledy. You know better." Frowning until her wyvern followed her instructions, Cora shrugged again before staring up at the shrine. "And nobody knew that there were _shrines _to the spirits either. Gods … I don't even know if most people realize the spirits even _existed _outside of mages."

'Oh, Laurent would have a _field day _here.' Lucina thought to herself with a smile, looking around again. 'The rules of magic here seem to work a bit differently than they do on Yllise, but … Unless I'm mistaken, Anima magic almost seems to be losing strength in this land. That _has _to tie in with the fact that the land is dying, somehow.' stepping closer to the shrine, Lucina watched as Raine tapped the staff against the shrine doors, as if testing for a reaction.

The silver gem on his staff flashed briefly, but apart from that, no reaction. "Odd." The prince frowned, gripping his staff and looking it over. "I thought this staff could do something to call the spirit; the gem was apparently found in a place full of magic ..."

"Perhaps it only will work with a certain spirit?" Lucina offered, looking the silver gem over. "Judging by the color, I'd say ice."

"Knowing our luck, that's the case." Raine let out another sigh, frowning. "And it's not as if I can just trek to the temple; I didn't even know _this _one existed, let alone shrines for the other elemental spirits. Gods, why is this so frustrating …!" Lucina winced and patted his shoulder, not knowing how better to comfort the mage.

All three present jumped a bit when the sound of a sharp increase of wind flooded through the pavilion that served as a temple. Straining her ears, Lucina caught the faintest hints of whispers from several laughing voices, her and Raine backing up to stand by Cora as the other gripped her lance. A figure started to appear in front of them, wispy and made of the winds that blew through the open chamber. A green tint seemed to flow through the breeze, and Lucina could have sworn she saw a face for a second.

_**Visitors? **_

The voice was almost masculine, but it was hard to tell. It wasn't helped with how the wind would ebb and flow, muting the voice at random intervals.

_**Rare sight, visitors. Not … … winter. How did ... place?**_

Both Lucina and Cora blinked before looking at Raine. When the blue-haired male glanced between them both, Cora shrugged. "You're the mage, YOU talk to the magical spirit." Raine scowled and turned to Lucina, who held up her hands.

"I am not magically inclined, and I'm also from a foreign world." She countered. "I have no notion of how to interact with magical spirits." Sighing in defeat, Raine turned towards the apparently forming spirit and bowed, clenching the staff tightly.

"H … Hello there, Spirit of the Wind." He began, trying to keep his voice even. "My companions and I did not intend to stumble across your temple, so we hope we are not imposing where we aught not be."

_**... too formally. Talk … … a friend. Filia … … stands on ceremony, not … … bag of hot air ... decline of mana.**_

Either she was losing her mind or Lucina could have _sworn _the spirit was amused.

Raine gave a nod, but his face seemed to pale. "Mana?! The mana is declining? Is that why the weather has been so violent as of late!?" Lucina winced; from what she had managed to gather from one of Laurent's explanations – if only due to Owain translating it to layman's terms for her – that mana was a sort of energy that flowed in the land, and it was what helped fuel elemental magic into something more than rituals to ward of ill luck. If Elibe's mana was deteriorating, it would certainly put a few things into perspective.

But for a land to be this badly decayed, that would mean a great deal of mana had been depleted. How had _that _happened!?

_**You are smart. … … the weather, personally; T... … that. Go ask him. He's over … … … plains. Why a … … flatland to settle, I … … **_

"The plains … does he mean Sacae?" Cora frowned. "Last I heard, they were in conflict with Ilia for some reason, but Romulus didn't elaborate." Frowning, the brunet began muttering under her breath as Miledy approached, the wyvern settling onto her haunches. Lucina didn't disturb her, settling into her own thoughts as she glanced back down at the tiles beneath her feet.

She could clearly see the Mark of Naga, the mark etched into several of the flagstones to create a nearly invisible shift in color from the rest of the stones. If this mark was here, then perhaps, when these temples were built, Naga _had _been worshiped on Elibe. It would certainly explain why she was a "Lost Goddess", at the very least.

Raine seemed to be thinking about a similar topic. "But what of the Lost Goddess?" He asked the spirit. "What of Naga? Is her presence still here, or has even she forsaken us to this demise?"

… _**ke she has little power here. … … s of nature, the dragons were affected the worst, in ... … … really ancient divine dragon. I don't think sh... … … loves you almost as much as Fath... the girl with blue ha... … … of Naga's.**_

Lucina was only half paying attention at that point, something moving at the back of the shrine catching her attention. When she tried to focus on it, however, she couldn't see anything, making her frown. The blue-haired woman could have _sworn _she had seen a flash of color behind one of the pillars, and the faintest sound of bells had reached her ears. Was she just imagining things? Puzzled, Lucina didn't realize that the wind spirit was starting to fade until a current of its winds caught her fully.

_**You are … n's doesn't flow through your veins, and yet … You ha … meant to come here … **_

Going to open her mouth, Lucina blinked again when she realized the spirit was gone, but the shrine still seemed to glow and hum with a faint hint of magical energy. It was faint, nothing more than perhaps a mere shadow of what the spirit's power had been originally. "That … was unexpected ..." She breathed after a moment, sighing and releasing her grip on Falchion completely for the first time since she had arrived on Elibe.

"Understatement, Luci." Cora frowned again, Miledy wandering over to stand by her side for a moment. "But at least we have something of a hint now. We're losing mana."

"And that's another whole nest of problems." Raine frowned, shaking his head. "Mana's not exactly something that humans put out a lot of. At least, not enough to patch up a dying world." Sighing, the blue-haired man gripped the staff tighter. "But maybe if we return and go to speak with my grandfather, or Romulus or Remus ..." Violet eyes staring at the shrine for a moment, Raine eventually turned to Lucina. "... I mean no affront, Lucina, but I must insist you come with us. I … I have a feeling that you might have insight that nobody here would."

Lucina felt a part of her protest; she was _done _with the end of the world. She had expected to not face such a horrible crisis after the defeat of Grima, and yet here she was again, on a new world whose decline was noticeable. And unlike back on Ylisse, the solution to setting things right once more wasn't as easy to perceive as 'slay Grima'. She didn't doubt it would be just as hard of a task, however, once they knew what they had to do.

She paused, before letting a soft laugh leave her. Her brain and heart had decided before she had even realized it. Giving Raine a nod, Lucina let a solemn smile cross her face. "Don't worry, Raine, Cora. I'll stay with you until things are set right." She reassured the other two, giving a curt bow at the waist. "But you might be right; a fresh set of eyes never hurts when you're staring at a complicated problem, especially if you've been staring at it for quite some time. I'm … not that well-versed in magic, however."

"Neither am I; that's Raine's job." Cora laughed, earning a scowl from Raine. "So, Lycia first, or do we want to go right to Remus?" She asked, hands folding behind her head.

"I'd suggest your brother, Cora." Raine nodded, looking around again. "He'll want to know about the Entombed, and I'm almost afraid to see what he says about the Bael." Cora groaned as well, but nodded in understanding. Lucina could wager a guess as to why, and it was a frightening one. Entombed were bad enough; she didn't want to imagine a realm crawling with more than just Entombed.

Taking up the rear as they filed out of the chamber, Lucina paused at the threshold, turning to look behind her. She had heard the chimes again, a bit louder this time. But, once again, she couldn't find a source. Frowning, the young woman turned and headed back into the long tunnel, following the small orbs of fire Raine had created to serve as a light source on their way up. For several moments after, the shrine was still, the changing sky outside reflected in the mirror-smooth water.

And then, from behind a pillar, something shifted.

It was a girl, appearing about ten, dressed for life in the desert in loose, rose and russet colored fabric. Green eyes were wide, an odd light in them, accenting the four diamonds arranged in an upside down cross on her forehead. Her bare feet were silent on the tile, making the chiming of the bells at her ankles seem all the louder as she ran straight to the passageway, stopping at the entrance.

"Sophia was right." She whispered, a grin pulling the corners of her mouth up into a wide smile that bared teeth too sharp to be human. "Sophia was right! Someone came through the gate.!" Stifling giggles, the little girl twirled for a moment before running back the way she came, leaping from platform to platform without a care. "Fae has to get back home! I need to let the others know!" Laughing as she reached the rear of the pavilion, she jumped over the edge of the cliff face, a pair of cream colored bird's wings appearing from her shoulder blades.

A flash of light later, and the girl was gone, a feathered creature three times the size of any wyvern riding the columns of warm sea air to get above the clouds before anyone could register its presence.

* * *

_**Tori's Notes: **I shudder to imagine what would happen if Fae and Nowi were to ever meet. I don't think the world could handle the two of them in one spot. _

___Anyway, I've updated this! Yeah, it's a bit of a 'filler' chapter and nowhere near as long as the first one, but it's setting up some of the world around it, and what the fuck is going on with Elibe. If you haven't played Fire Emblem 6 (Seven to a lesser extent, but I'm drawing more on FE6) or read a walkthrough/the script of the game on Serenesforest, I'd recommend it; that's where the Ending Winter is first mentioned. _

___The next chapter will explain where Raine and Cora come from, though. I don't know when it'll be up; I'm back in college. I'm at the AI of Pittsburgh for Game Art and Design, so I have a bit of a homework load. Between that, trying to find a job, and the various other stories I'm working on, progress will be sporadic with all my stories. Until next time, Tata~ (and leave a review; I like to hear what you people have to say) _


End file.
